Related

107 comments on “Open mike 16/11/2012”

Forgiveness is also a Labour value.
Forgiveness is the renunciation or cessation of resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offence, disagreement, or mistake.
All members of the Labour Party get out of bed in the morning, or go to a Branch meeting or a Conference, with the intent of doing the right thing.

I, or you, may disagree with them. Politics is how we work with these different views.

Agree totally. Forgiveness I read recently is a characteristic of the strong, not of the weak. Especially it is important since it disposes of the crippling effects of resentment, indignation and anger.

An examination of Labour/Left values would help us focus on what is truly important and be a timely reminder of what we seek to achieve, especially for others.

Quite right Khanno. I remember dear old dad telling us how he met the original founder of world Labour once and when pressed for practical instructions, the only single advice he gave them was exactly that. Forgiveness (I think the exact words were “as we forgive those who press arse against us” or summing) The only exception was currency dealers, funnily enough, beat the snot out of them….

What’s all this forgiveness thing. Who to whom?
‘Politics is how we work with these different views’.
Then putting forward different views is how we work at the political coalface.
In a real democracy there needs to be an opportunity for everyone in the country to put forward a reasoned view and have it considered. The views and analysis of performance cannot be contained to those within the mirror city all looking at their own reflections, listening to their own audio feed.

Uturn
Ummmm so confusing. I wonder if a pinhole camera might help here. It was great with the eclipse which would have been otherwise blinding. And we blinding well need to find our way out of where we are.

“I’m called ‘the poorest president’, but I don’t feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle, and always want more and more,” he says.
“This is a matter of freedom. If you don’t have many possessions then you don’t need to work all your life like a slave to sustain them, and therefore you have more time for yourself,” he says.

Yes, I saw that while I was being randomly nosey over here, and the first article was about this:

“The deal was struck after China Southern (Airlines) told Immigration NZ that its Gold and Silver Card holders were seeking to avoid “the necessity to answer questions relating to financial backing and employment history and to provide evidence of these” ”.

To even be interested in a Sky Pearl Club Silver Card you have to fly the equivalent distance as that of here to London and back, every three years. It could be argued that the agreement with Immigration is one that “rich people” are accepted in good faith and that “poor people” are considered suspicious as default. If frequently flying around the world is not a symptom of being “rich”, then at least it is part of a certain set of middle-class values. If that’s the case, it’s almost predictably boring that favouritism is accepted by supporters of our current style of living. It’s also not a very accurate portrayal of the myriad variations of Chinese cultural beliefs.

While I was at Avondale market last week there was a stand promoting Falun Gong, or more specifically, they were promoting resistance to the Chinese communist party. The banner on the stall read something about truth and goodness, happiness and values, and I thought wow, modern politics has pushed people in a circle back round to pre-Confucianism. I wonder if they’ll drift just a little bit further and drop the values and goodness, maybe even the happiness. Then I lost interest and went back to my banana pancake, which is always very tasty – two for $1.50.

In certain Chinese writings, that were around while competing ideas like Confucianism also vied for dominance, there is the idea that an authentic person can be completely impoverished, while the confused rule, and that outward appearances are worthless. Also, that aligning oneself on the say-so of another, or accepting ingenuine gifts in the style of the prevailing fashion, are ideas that should be strenuously avoided if one seeks to live out all the years given by life. Sun Tzu had departed for his country estate by then, but his ideas on organising the acquisition of other people’s stuff were still in effect. I don’t know if Chinese organised criminals laundering money, or drug mules making deliveries, would carry Sky Pearl Club Silver or Gold cards. It might be a dead giveaway. Whether or not modern cultural beliefs are a threat to NZ is debateable. Probably, it’s just better to screen everyone as they arrive, than guess who is trouble or not by their frequent flyer plans.

More rubbish from the Novopay saga, which should be renamed No-mo(re)-pay.

After Te Puni Kokiri’s mind-numbingly long propaganda being read out yesterday on Morning Report, another tack is taken this morning with yet another lot of shambles unfolding. This time, courtesy of the Education Minister & Ministry. What are their responses?

WTF. You can’t make this shit up even with the strongest satire. It is clear that Minister Hekia has dumped the need to front up onto Assoc Minister Floss who himself is now fast vanishing from office.

As for the Ministry of Education, it should be honest and say it is no longer part of the Public Service, but provides aggravation by way of public disservice.

I encourage media to give appropriate air time to opposition MP’s to comment on issues such as this so that if ministers elect not to front interviews with the media at least the public know they are not totally irrelevant. Seems only fair.

Re Hekia Parata and your statement about her lack of fronting up. That lady wears an invisibility cloak. She is one slick ninja. She has repeatedly declined John Campbells requets for interviews regarding the CHCH schools fiasco and the nopay issues. It not the odd request either, theres been several. Instead the poor bedragled and harrased looking secretary for the MOE has to front up.

Is this the type of labour leader we need?
The herald has a write up about the labour conference and it takes it in his office.
One more telling blerb from the annointed one is that he once again refers to bloggers,
saying that the “Bloggers are just a background noise,that, that is all it is worthy of”
Today’s herald folks.
ps,sorry i can’t link.

“The influence of people sitting anonymously in front of computer screens behind darkened curtains is not something I think we should be taking as seriously as we do.”

The problem is that the blogs are accurately reflecting how Labour voters feel about David Shearer. Shooting the messenger doesn’t alter the fact that he has failed to do his job convincingly. He may well end up being an accidental Prime Minister, but that will be because of Nationals failings not his own popularity.

And much as I take heart from the poll trends, Labour should be a damn site closer to National, given the ammunition they have at their disposal. Shearer will survive this conference, but Labour may not survive Shearer.

Again Shearer opted to insult critics from his own Party (plus others). His main interest is (and has been) self-praise. Also, the following in the Herald, “When he’s asked about what differentiates Labour from National, he answers promptly and opts to focus on economic policy rather than social”. That really is something coming from a Labour leader! In short, his goal is exactly the same as National’s. Yet he still maintains that Labour will mean taking the country in a different direction!
Then Mr Shearer suggests Labour will offer “a more intelligent interventionist government”. Well, maybe more interventionist, but where from the intelligence? Surely he is imagining coalition with the Greens (where intelligence truly lies).

The Herald again, “There is a very long pause indeed when Shearer is asked what differentiates him from John Key” – yes, another of those awful long pauses. The Herald continues, “In many ways the two are comparable . . . Shearer is more like Key than he is like Clark. He finally answers he has respect for Key as a ‘communicator’ . . . “. My God, we know only too well the kinds of communications we are receiving from Key!!
Anyway, rest assured, Shearer “does know where he wants to take the country himself and will share that with the rest of us this weekend”. Hurrah! At last it is coming!! (Maybe)

Well as an Irish Catholic republican hater of titles I thought the reinstatement was really silly. Being a QC only allows the chosen few to charge more and serves no practical purpose. And restricting it to the ranks of barristers sole is artificial. There are plenty of good lawyers who practice as barristers and solicitors.

Government needs skin in the game, a deposit guarentee
scheme on savings, basically insurance paid by banks
and other institutions would expose quickly those not
paying and so those running ponsi type schemes, with
the additional incentive that government has justification
for investigation. But National ended the deposit guarentee
by allowing South Canterbury Finance into the scheme and
not doing due diligence, win-win for crooks,
well National don’t believe in
due diligence, the market will do provide that. The
cult of no governance keeps on giving, Pike river, CTV,
SCF, but not Env.Canterbury funny enough, or alledgely fast
tracking Chinese criminals to launder money. And
wait up, why are australian banks deposits guarenteed but
not NZ ones, surely aligning with Australia to remove
inhibitors to businessness is a National policy???
Wonder what Australian regulators have to say about the
ametaur NZ banking system. We don;t need world standards,
rich successful kiwis never make their money criminally,
happens all over the world but not in NZ. Why is parliament
filled with cretins? The senatoral chamber keeps on doing this,
flash new regulation rammed into law that saves business
costs (usually not actively wanted by business) and neo-liberalism
neo-conservatism gets another victory for small incompete
government.

We cannot afford a DGS, WTF, we cannot NOT afford to protect
investors who have been hoodwinked. BUT WAIT, its worse, Key
promised to clear up the financial industry, that’s why the story
comes out on a friday, to protect Key. Key lost a billion in SCF,
then removed the incentive for government to stop further fraud.

Listening to the Dunedin Mayor this morning on the subject of the loss of Hillside engineering was like listening to a NACT robot. He was only interested in fending off Claire Curran.

There was talk about the NZ price for engineering work for Kiwirail being 25% higher than the alternative. No business could ignore that so we had to go with the cheapest – mantra!

When will the effect on our overseas reserves be taken into account. We have to borrow overseas to get the currency to pay for these overseas purchases. That in turn puts us further into hock as a country. What effect does that have on our exchange rate? Someone here will know and might find the time to explain. And in the meantime we are languishing with no jobs and declining business and rising unemployment. Dunedin could do with the money from building that NZrail stock, AND the onflow of spending to the community generally termed the multiplier effect.
The multiplier effect is what grows an economy.
The dry explanation – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplier_(economics)
also http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-expenditure-multiplier.htm
for ‘deep throat’ there is an interview hour on the subject through here http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/10/ramey_on_stimul.html

And the thing is that if the price difference was only 25% more expensive for NZ made then it is a false saving to manufacture offshore. The government would easily recoup that cost from the tax take of the workers and suppliers not to mention the obvious cost savings of having those people in the workforce as opposed to on a potential benefit..

False economy and completely disingenuous when solely the up front cost is considered.. What about the overall TCO?

I notice that on the feed column, there is a link to Ruth Dyson release decrying the fact that democracy in Canterbury is poked. I agree with her sentiments. But didn’t Labour vote in favour of giving Gerry Brownlie extra-ordinary powers and wasn’t it Gerry Brownlie who used those powers to replace the elected Regional Council with appointees?

Apologies if I’m remembering this incorrectly. Otherwise, shameful hypocrisy and selective memory or tacit admission of stupidity on the part of Labour.

Today, it’s not the “ferals” of the poorest suburbs in Whanganui and Hastings that are the object of Michael Laws’ snarling contempt. Overnight, Israel has stepped up its ongoing brutalisation of Gaza, so it’s incumbent on all unconditional supporters of Israel to express their undying love for the Holy State.

Not all his listeners are as ready to uncritically accept what they are told in the mainstream news broadcasts. A young man called Aidan rings up Laws to remonstrate….

AIDAN: You are siding with the oppressors.LAWS: No they’re not. They are not the oppressors.AIDAN: Palestinians in Israel are discriminated agai—LAWS: Listen Aidan. Listen to me, otherwise I’ll think you’re mad. Israel started in 1948 as a Jewish state. [A long, wandery and incoherent rehash of Israeli propaganda follows.] Anyway, coming up after the news, I’ll be speaking to an EXPERT on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

…11 a.m. NEWS…

LAWS: This latest middle eastern, ahhhh, flashpoint. Joining us to give us a bit of a background to all this is Professor William Harris, from the Political Studies department at Otago University. Bill, this current conflict, with the Israelis firing back at the Palestinians… My understanding is that the Palestinians are bitterly divided between Hamas and Fatah. Is that right?PROFESSOR HARRIS: That is right. In fact they may even be divided more than that. Since their last big operation in 2008-9, things have been desultory.LAWS: From an outsider’s perspective it makes no sense. Why would Hamas fire rockets at Israel?HARRIS: Yes but Gaza has been under a tight siege.LAWS: Yes but hasn’t Egypt been a part of that siege too?HARRIS: Egypt wants to be a mediator too.LAWS: When the U.N. created Israel in 1948, did they create a Palestinian state as well?

In the face of such profound ignorance, Professor Harris managed to politely start educating the host, but this will be an ongoing project. Laws, who clearly knows hardly anything about the situation and has made no effort to do any reading about it, listened politely and asked reasonably intelligent questions.

Encouragingly, Laws indicated that Professor Harris will be coming back on the programme again, so at least someone with a bit of knowledge will occasionally get a hearing.

And Israel says it’s the Orphans that started it by firing rockets at them?

That’s exactly the message spouted by the BBC, Radio New Zealand, NewstalkZB, Radio Live, Television One and TV3. Nearly all of these broadcasters actually used Netanyahu’s fantastical and dishonest words—that Israelis “live under a constant barrage of rockets and missile fire”—and passed it off as their own copywriting.

Who instigated the Blockade then, Let alone enforced it with “Diplomacy”?

Israel instigated it, with the full support of its sponsor, the United States.

Morrissey
Let’s face it Netanyahu is a General and he’s getting old. There’s probably an urgent desire on the part of all old generals to do something vital before they die. Look at the USA ones! And the Israeli just wants to keep the pot boiling and the huge armament supplies and business flooding in.

And the Israelis have set up a political system that allows political power to those who have military power, so they are in permanent war mode. And they haven’t thought out the difficulties even impossibilities, of allowing any and all Jewish believers and sects to flourish. Now in the country they have their own version of the Taliban trying to drag them back into ancient times and sharia-type rules.

And the Palestinians are so bloody irritating with their persistence about their land rights and harrassing and threatening Israel with their armaments and their tunnels and their inadequate leadership that matches Israel’s. And they won’t say that Israel is legit.

So the score of death was three Israelis and fifteen West Bank. Some in Israel would think that’s too low a currency. The going rate has been far higher than that. For every one Israeli killed, it is about 30 Palestinians or perhaps down to 10 but also an olive grove, a strategic building and at least five houses demolished. Israel is mighty and will defend and punish.

And while this country of intelligent, so-called civilised people carries on like this, creating hatred and defiance and suspicion amongst the Palestinians who retaliate in a similar byzantine manner they stoke the fire of contempt and anger amongst a vast population of young men who are ready and willing to attack anyone, given enough encouragement by their holy ones. And we all feel it. If in the back of their minds Israelis are thinking that we deserve it after all they suffered down the centuries and in Nazi Germany, if they don’t make firm moves to peace and demand civil compensation for breaches, if there is some sort of positive outcome for them, it will be a pyrrhic victory.

Obama has spoken to Netanyahu by ‘phone, encouraging him to step up the brutal assault on Gaza. How many Israelis were casualties? Count them on one hand. As usual we behold the massive over-retaliation.

Nah, that’s a good idea OneTrack…but the problem is you said into Israel when you really meant to say into Palestinian land that is occupied by Israel
If Israel moves back to where they should be then the Palestinian rockets might stop…or they can just carry on like this for a couple more decades at most, until the USA can no longer protect Israel, and then we’ll see the brutal end of Israel from all their neighbours…that’s gonna be nasty

…another plan would be if the palestinians stopped firing rockets into Israel and killing Israeli civilians.

The ignoramus has confused the Occupied Territories for Israel. Has this poor fool ever wondered why a few Palestinians are firing rockets into illegal settlements? Of course not. It doesn’t know what it’s talking about.

“So how did Republicans keep their House majority despite more Americans voting for the other party—something that has only happened three times in the last hundred years, according to political analyst Richard Winger? Because they drew the lines. ”

“It is impossible to read this as anything other than an attack on Nate Silver, who is by far the most prominent aggregator and analyzer of others’ polls currently operating today. And it simply reeks of sour grapes. During the campaign year, Silver consistently pointed out that Gallup’s results were oddly inconsistent with what other pollsters were finding. And he was right — Gallup got it wrong. It is not inappropriate to point that out. But Gallup presumes too much when it effectively threatens to take its surveys home and just stop playing.”

Did I really hear Shearer waxing about future input from ‘the grassroots’? Nah. Couldn’t be. They be utterly dismissable people who spray paint their curtains a dark colour and won’t tell anyone what their name is. (apparently)

And was that Goff praying or saying that ‘everyone’ (ie, caucus) was solidly behind Shearer while dismissing the Party’s grasroot sentiments as National Party tosh? (Headsup to Ph.Goff. – Nobody claimed there was a challenge from within caucus. ‘Everybody’ claimed they are right pissed off and disillusioned.)

Goff should count himself lucky to date for not been subject to the bright light of scrutiny about parachuting Shearer into a safe Labour seat, indeed the seat that the former three-term Prime Minister had just vacated.

Rioting in Europe. People are angry and desperate. The leaders are themselves sitting on the golden egg. They had Faberge eggs in Russia before the revolution. Will there have to be another revolution, another war. because the dangerous playboys and autocratic men and women at the top have too little head space for brain?

Terry Pratchett’s character in the Discworld, Havelock Vetinari, Lord Vetinari, Patrician of Ankh-Morpork is a schemer but he does ensure that the place keeps going. He thinks his way past others who have aspirations. He allows for known moral problems, there is an Assassins Guild, a Thieves Guild, etc and they have stern standards to adhere to. Perhaps we need more honesty and less of the greasy promisers that slide away when there’s trouble.

Well you can quibble over who believes what extent (I disagree with Farrar myself) but the fact remains that ” Slater and Farrar can not ever agree that human pollution is causing the planet to heat ” is an utter falsehood. Provably so. A quick search of Kiwiblog has Farrar saying, many times, I believe in climate change and humans are causing it.

I often correct things or quibble over what others see as minor points and many probably think me a pedant, but IMO it’s important to get things correct, and when an error is pointed out to you, admit it.

looks like you’ve been ignored then. Its not really a site for discussion, just a place to go to read bomber’s thoughts…shame really, more of an online magazine because there is no interaction. Its gotten to the point where you not only know what topics are going to be posted on that blog, but also what is going to be said. Then again, that’s true for almost all blogs to a degree.
It could be better but I guess they are busy. Citizen A and the Union Report are worth a watch though…they’re the only TV shows I bother watching

yeah, maybe, or maybe you have taken his words too strongly?…and it depends how you read what Farrar wrote, his last 7 words is what bomber is questioning – and not as large as originally projected That kind of statement leaves most readers thinking that climate change is questionable…check the comments on the post to see how Farrar’s post leads to heavy denial.
Bomber claims that Slater and Farrar are people who try to suggest that human pollution isn’t warming the planet and then says Muddy the waters on the science (there is no direct link between smoking and cancer) and keep repeating that position so people don’t think the science is as settled as it actually is.
Bomber uses the words try to suggest and muddy the waters …hardly claiming that Slater and Farrar flatly deny that warming is not occurring…
And lastly, Bomber uses the term climate deniers…that’s a vague term in itself…does it mean that they deny climate is changing, does it mean that they deny climate change is caused mainly by humans…or does it mean that they deny climate change is caused solely by humans?
Basically, Bomber is as vague as Farrar…and the other hand, Slater is in a league of his own.

Literally yes, Farrar acknowledges AGC. But he does minimise it and its significance in the quote TC pasted.

BUT I’m not so sure that denying AGC is different in any practical sense from denying its significance. The ship still sinks while Farrar et al argue that it’s just normal rain which has never been a problem before, or that there is a hole but it’s really not letting in as much water as alarmists suggest.

Oh, semantically they are distinct statements and Bomber should be more accurate, but in the practical world Farrar is firmly in the “fuck the planet, my paymasters are okay” camp: the same side as Monckton etc.

Indeed but Bombers post isn’t about Farrar minimizing the effect of AGW (which would be the honest position) but about Farrar expressly denying it to the point of:
“Slater and Farrar can not ever agree that human pollution is causing the planet to heat” when Farrar explicitly states many times, he believes it is caused by humans.

It isn’t just right-wingers that omit facts and/or lie which is what bothers me about Bomber. He gets so barking mad at others for their lies and omissions but then proves himself to be no better.

I think Farrar’s position lacks integrity. He’s saying that the science is correct and incorrect at the same time. He’s trying to say well, yes, AGW is happening but we don’t have to do anything about it. Which is a position of denial.

Well, whatever you think Farrar thinks the extent is he does not deny climate change is happening and that humans are causing it which is Bombers incorrect assertion. The honest position is that Farrar denies the extent of the damage being done, not that Farrar denies any damage in the first place.

It’s also a change in tune, with David Farrar often posting climate change denial rubbish. I guess he might have just woken up for a little while in the face of reality, but is still sleepily not really acknowledging the extent of the problem.

You can’t ignore the fact that Farrar makes a number of arguments in favour of the fossil fuel industry and posts articles that try to deny climate change exists just because of one example TC. It’s the overall denying that Bomber is responding to, which makes his argument justified.

The nation has a strong, well-regulated banking sector, but households, businesses and governments do not save enough of their income.

If we ‘save money’ under the present system we actually run out of money and the economy would grind to a halt as the only thing that would be left would be the debt caused by the private banks charging interest on money they created.

It is with regret that I have found confirmation that the comments on this site and forum are largely “navel gazing” types of comments, but the threads for discussion basically enforce this.

Now we have the prospect of full blown, wider, escalating war in the Middle East, and here most are pre-occupied with a “Labour Conference”, which is likely to result in a kind of scenario, similar to the majority votes in former Eastern Bloc ruling parties.

No way will anyone seriously challenge the leadership, and the mostly aged members will cast their votes and utter their support in old, stubborn fashion. There may be a bit of dissent and criticism, but I expect little.

So it is time to move on, and to establish a NEW party on the left, that is inclusive, also stops the divisiveness amongst many activist groups I know, which is more like a “social scene” for some, to battle it out amongst each other. Unity is a distant goal or rather dream, it sometimes seems.

Now why not bear a thought tonight also about what the hell goes on in Gaza and Palestine?

Does anybody give a damn in NZ? I am sure some do, but it is far too few.

Let the Middle East explode, I say, clear the air, let off steam perhaps, fight it out, which will never be cleared and sorted with bogey attempts to negotiate what is not negotiable.

This attack by Israeli forces was well calculated, it happened just before an election, and again, it is the right wing, nationalistic Likud, who started this on purpose. They want to create war to get a “crisis” feeling, so Israelis feel afraid and vote for them. It has worked too many times, and it is tried again.

The usual blame game goes on. Hamas and their supporters are all terrorists, that is the accusation, so we must march in and sort this out, is the addition.

This time though, it may lead to more, and Israelis should be bloody worried, as this may end the existence of this state, which was created in the early post war years, under support by powers, who were still “enjoying” their last years of “colonial dominance” of the world. They did contribute to the creation of the state of Israel, which is a state based on race interests and dominance, and they would not know, that colonialism was to end soon.

So let us see, whether the last remnant of a kind of neo-colonialist state of Zionists will survive, or whether jews will return to the diaspora, or at least learn to live with the natives of centuries of that land, in peace, and to share the land and interest.

I find it impossible to reconcile what Israel is doing to the Palestinians in Gaza given their own experience. For as long as they imprison Palestinians, deny a diplomatic solution and sporadically invade, there will be no resolution of this.

The way I see it, sadly, is that from my safe little home there is not an effective thing I can do about this except make my express my opinions to those who support Israeli action and ask our U.S-aligned government to express support for Palestinian aspirations… and our government is not going to do that anytime soon.

The only people who can stop the war in the Middle East is the people in the ME. But, as you point out, there’s some people who don’t want to stop the war and they’re the people in power and they don’t want to stop the war because it keeps them in power.

The Aliyah movement shows the nationalistic side to Israel, which is dominated by the settler movement, and who believe totally in the whole land, also the West Bank and Gaza, to be JEWISH land, that is theirs, and there to be taken and kept forever, as part of the promised land, that they believe God gave them!

The plan of the Aliyah movement, supported by the state of Israel, is to bring as many settlers of Jewish origin into the country, to strengthen the homeland character and solidarity, and to populate the land they believe is theirs.

The Israeli Defence Force and Likud also believe, that the West Bank can never be surrendered to Palestinian rule, as the control of it is essential to Israeli security.

Now this is important stuff, and it highly strategic a situation, so I wonder, where blase NZers stand on this all?!

Better shut up now, as I do not want to upset soft lefties with too radical info and material. I have a library full of stuff, and I suggest to everyone, study, study, study, learn, learn and learn and get real about what goes on. Sadly this country is run by idiots, sadly largely for idiots. If you want to save your country, take a damned bloody stand! That is for ALL Nzers.

Xtasy – The reason most in NZ, even those who do pay some interest, focus on local issues is because they feel there is some degree of input they can have which might one day, lead to directional change.

Sadly this is not going to happen, and there are much closer links between the ME situation, and NZ than people would like to accept. NZ is simply an extension of the powers who control “the west”, dicate wars, and control right down to the local “clubs”

NZ is rooted because the peoople have become fat, lazy, stupid and complicit!

. . Our country has been described as “awash by alcohol” by more than one observer. In New Zealand, buying alcohol is easier than buying a car fuse at a petrol station. (I know this, I’ve tried.) On Tuesday 29… ...

Every six months the Ministry of Transport produce a monitoring report on how Auckland is performing against the targets the government set for work to start prior to 2020 on the City Rail Link. As a reminder On 28 June… ...

Since 1984 we have opened our borders to the global market. It is something many have accepted and become accustomed to, yet is still disputed as either the harbinger of capital and posterity, or the degradation of utility for the… ...

Quick March, journal of the Returned Soldiers Association who made support for the White New Zealand policy their number one platform plank by Philip Ferguson Chinese numbers in New Zealand dropped through the 1890s and the first decade of the twentieth… ...

Back around the mid-1990s a number of left publications here ran an article by longtime left activist Peter Lusk about his six months on the dryer line at ‘iconic’ NZ company Fisher & Paykel’s Auckland factory. Peter’s article vividly portrayed… ...

Mike Hosking is an opinionated chap. He’s paid an enormous sum of money to be opinionated, not only as a breakfast talk-back host on the ZB network, but as a Herald columnist and the co-host of TVNZ’s Seven Sharp.… ...

Now that the Maui Ministerial has failed to reach a conclusion, we believe it is time to ensure our Prime Minister and Trade Minister know that kiwis do not want this deal. Send them a letter below! TPPA?… ...

In September last year, David Parker laid a complaint with the Police about a supposed “hack” of the Labour Party website by Whaleoil blogger Cameron Slater. On Friday, Police released a letter explaining that their investigation was over, and they… ...

Via RNZ: Another TPP meeting, another failure to reach agreement. Yet the words used to describe the negotiations did not, once again, talk of defeat. Instead, the joint statement by the TPP Ministers said: “We have made significant progress and… ...

. . Continued from: The slow dismantling of a populist prime minister Amidst the latest scandal swirling around this increasingly desperate National government, the chaos at Serco-run Mt Eden prison is just the latest in a long line of ministerial… ...

The Debunking Handbook is now available in Indonesian. Many thanks to Herendraswari Kusumawardani who did this 10th(!) translation of the handbook. Note to other translators:If you'd like to translate the Debunking Handbook into another language, please contact us (select "Enquiry about… ...

Speech – New Zealand First Party This is Maori Language Week and there is a Maori proverb that should be at the front of every politicians mind.2 AUGUST 2015 New Zealand First Leader and Member of Parliament for Northland Rt… ...

Press Release – TPPA Auckland Call to Action Group The stalling of yesterdays TPPA negotiations in Maui provide light relief for the citizens of New Zealand, but we cannot be complacent in thinking that our Government will not continue on… ...

Police Commissioner Mike Bush on Friday announced that tasers will be deployed for the use of all front-line officers. The reasoning behind tasers emphasises the taser’s potential for de-escalation — a “less-than-lethal” alternative to shooting someone — sometimes on the… ...

Press Release – TVNZ CORIN Mr Groser, can you give us a sense of how disappointing this is that you didnt reach an agreement this week?Q + AEpisode 23TIM GROSER Interviewed by CORIN DANN CORIN Mr Groser, can you… ...

Press Release – New Zealand First Party The TPPA was a botch-up from the start, says New Zealand First Leader and Member of Parliament for Northland Rt Hon Winston Peters.TPPA a botch-up from the start The TPPA was a botch-up… ...

An 18 month old Palestinian toddler is burned to death. The parents of Ali Saad Dawabsheh and 4 yr old brother are in critical conditions with burns up fo 70 % of their bodies. Are we horrified? Well most of… ...

Greece is facing a depression on a scale arguably comparable to the US Great Depression of the late 1920s. Huge unemployment rates and a dramatic drop in family incomes of over 40 percent have Greek citizens pondering what the impacts will be… ...

Image credit: Rachel Knowles – Successful blogging workshop Big problems with Sitemeter The problems with SiteMeter are still bad this month. No data could be obtained for about 50 blogs using SiteMeter. People have also reported strange results. So if… ...

The post-Maui Ministerial Press Conference is just wrapping up, where Ministers yet again were unable to conclude a deal. The Press Conference was heavy on platitudes but light on detail of actual progress, with Ministers trailing out the oft-repeated mantras around… ...

If New York can make most of Central Park car free, then why can’t we do the same with the Domain. That was my thought when watching this video from Streetfilms. Last week, people walking and biking on the Central… ...

Grim Faces And Patriotic Words: With a few, well-chosen, words, Key could place the 2017 General Election beyond the Opposition’s grasp. The Left has been clamouring for New Zealand’s negotiators to reject the TPPA in its current form. But… ...

. . On 14 December, 2010, there was great excitement and jubilation in the Beehive when then-Corrections Minister Judith Collins announced; “This Government is committed to a world-class Corrections system in New Zealand. To achieve that, we must have access… ...

. . On 14 December, 2010, there was great excitement and jubilation in the Beehive when then-Corrections Minister Judith Collins announced; “This Government is committed to a world-class Corrections system in New Zealand. To achieve that, we must have access… ...

Press Release – New Zealand Labour Party Failure to get the TPP agreement across the line gives New Zealanders an opportunity to put more pressure on the Government not to sign away our sovereignty, Opposition leader Andrew Little says.ANDREW LITTLE… ...

Press Release – Green Party The Government should come clean about what concessions it has already made and what issues have been left on the TPP negotiating table, the Green Party said today. 1 August 2015 Time for the Govt… ...

Press Release – New Zealand Government Trade Minister Tim Groser is disappointed that the TPP negotiations were unable to reach a conclusion today, but TPP ministers collectively pledged to meet again as soon as possible to finalise the deal.Hon Tim&hellip; ...

Press Release – AFTINET The failure of TPP Ministers to reach agreement in what was supposed to be the final round of negotiations vindicates the deep concerns of community groups that the TPP is secretly trading away issues like access… ...

Press Release – Professor Jane Kelsey The final ministerial meeting on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) in Maui has failed. Not opting to stay another day shows the gridlock is serious and potentially intractable, according to University of Auckland law… ...

Press Release – Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch Todays fourth final TPP ministerial without a deal means the clock has run on possible U.S. congressional votes in 2015. No deal means the TPP is thrown into the political maelstrom of… ...

Press Release – The Nation Headlines: With sanctions being lifted on Iran, McCully says there are big opportunities for New Zealand businesses in Iran and some have been giving the market a lot of thought. the opportunities are significant… ...

Press Release – Doctors for Healthy Trade Once again the pharmaceutical industry is pumping out misleading information, suggesting that theres no need to worry about price hikes to New Zealand medicines under the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) says… ...

Global climate models aren’t given nearly enough credit for their accurate global temperature change projections. As the 2014 IPCC report showed, observed global surface temperature changes have been within the range of climate model simulations. Now a new study shows that the models… ...

by Redliners“Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.”… ...

According to TV3, the police are being inundated with OIA requests:Police are struggling to cope with the overwhelming number of Official Information Act (OIA) requests which flood their offices every day, and some of their time-saving measures are now prompting… ...

Back in February, German news website Netzpolitik.org published stories based on leaked documents showing that the domestic intelligence agency BfV was seeking additional funding to increase online surveillance and monitor social media. The German government's response? Investigate them for treason:Germany… ...

A busy time in the House this week with a lot of questions on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. James Shaw asking John Key about the benefits to the ICT sector and the risks of investor-state dispute settlement and Andrew Little… ...

Vice Magazine has an article by Jordan Pearson covering the latest TPPA leaks and concluding that the agreement is a “horrorshow” based on the leaked content. The Vice article gives a great introduction to the perils of a completed TPPA, including… ...

Vice Magazine has an article by Jordan Pearson covering the latest TPPA leaks and concluding that the agreement is a “horrorshow” based on the leaked content. The Vice article gives a great introduction to the perils of a completed TPPA, including… ...

The new electric trains have by in large been a fantastic addition to Auckland. This is not to say that there haven’t been implementation issues however they are things that I expect Auckland Transport, Transdev, CAF and Kiwirail will iron… ...

The new electric trains have by in large been a fantastic addition to Auckland. This is not to say that there haven’t been implementation issues however they are things that I expect Auckland Transport, Transdev, CAF and Kiwirail will iron… ...

Share this:

Related

Failure to get the TPP agreement across the line gives New Zealanders an opportunity to put more pressure on the Government not to sign away our sovereignty, Opposition leader Andrew Little says.“New Zealand land, dairy and medicines are up for… ...

After failing to protect the right to stop foreign speculators buying our houses it’s clear the Government is not going to get wins on dairy in their TPP negotiations either, Labour’s Trade and Export spokesperson David Parker says. “Labour has… ...

Yesterday the Rich List showed the number of people who have over 50 million of wealth had increased by another 15 people since last year. Collectively this group are now worth 55 billion, an increase of over 7% since last… ...

Yesterday the Rich List showed the number of people who have over 50 million of wealth had increased by another 15 people since last year. Collectively this group are now worth 55 billion, an increase of over 7% since last… ...

Yesterday the Rich List showed the number of people who have over 50 million of wealth had increased by another 15 people since last year. Collectively this group are now worth 55 billion, an increase of over 7% since last… ...

Former Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has been thrown under the bus by her successor after its been suggested that Ms Bennett gave the green light to an ‘unethical’ observational study of high-risk children, Labour Children’s spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says.… ...

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Draft Transition Recovery Plan on behalf of the New Zealand Labour Party. It is important that the citizens of Canterbury have a voice in the governance of the next step of… ...

Yesterday the Government released the cabinet paper on progress on the work programme of the Ministerial Group on Family Violence and Sexual Violence. Along with the Human Rights Commissioner and Women’s Refuge, I really welcome the report. I’m relieved that… ...

Yesterday the Government released the cabinet paper on progress on the work programme of the Ministerial Group on Family Violence and Sexual Violence. Along with the Human Rights Commissioner and Women’s Refuge, I really welcome the report. I’m relieved that… ...

In 2010, National rammed the Electoral (Disqualification of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill through Parliament. Paul Quinn’s Member’s Bill existed because Paul Quinn thought anyone who’d been imprisoned was a serious offender, and serious offenders had ‘forfeited’ their right to vote.… ...

The Government has been given a serve by New Zealand-based international trucking and logistics firm Mainfreight which says it lacks a national transport strategy, and has treated rail badly, Labour's Transport spokesperson Phil Twyford says. The company has told shareholders it… ...

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions is embarking on a campaign to fight the changes that weaken the Health and Safety Reform bill. As part of the campaign the CTU has organised vigils with the display of 291 crosses… ...

Farmers must be given every assurance that all potential risks have been considered before Silver Fern Farms opens its door to foreign equity, Labour’s Primary Industries spokesperson Damien O’Connor says. “The ongoing saga involving the meat sector and amalgamation has… ...

Labour has moved to have the second flag referendum canned if the first attracts fewer than half the eligible number of voters, Opposition Leader Andrew Little says. “John Key has already wasted more than $8 million on his vanity project… ...

New figures obtained by Labour show the ACC Minister’s botched motor vehicle levy system has resulted in 90,000 vehicles having to be reclassified so far – at a cost of $6 million, Labour’s ACC spokesperson Sue Moroney says. “Nikki Kaye’s… ...

Chronic under-funding by National has seen the health budget slashed by $1.7 billion in just five years, Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King says. A report by Infometrics, commissioned by Labour, shows health funding has been cut in four of the… ...

The news that two Serco inmates have been arrested for helping to run a methamphetamine ring from prison should be the final straw and see their contract cancelled, says Labour’s Corrections Spokesperson Kelvin Davis. “National has stood by Serco despite… ...

A proposal being considered by the Government would see some people having to pay more for health care and district health boards forced to fight amongst themselves to fund regional health services, Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King says “Information leaked… ...

The trouble with the Charter school model is that it is a publicly funded experiment on children. The National Government has consistently put its desire to open charter schools ahead of the safety of the children in them, ignoring repeated… ...

News that an unnamed bank in Ashburton has put a receiver on notice over financially vulnerable farmers will send a chill through rural New Zealand, says Labour’s Finance Spokesperson Grant Robertson. “The Government needs to work with New Zealand’s banks… ...

John Key yesterday admitted what National dishonestly refused to confirm in Parliament last week – he is trading away New Zealand’s right to control who buys our homes and land, says Opposition leader Andrew Little. “The Prime Minister must now… ...

Plans by the Government to take a scalpel to democratically elected health boards are deceitful and underhand, coming just months after an election during which they were never signalled, Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King says “Leaked documents reveals a radical… ...

Corrections Spin Doctors sending their place holder lines to journalists instead of responding to serious allegations shows the scale of chaos at the department over the Serco scandal, says Labour’s Corrections Spokesperson Kelvin Davis. “As more and more serious allegations… ...

A High Court ruling that a law banning prisoners from voting is inconsistent with a properly functioning democracy should be a wake-up call for the Government, Labour’s Justice spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says. In an unprecedented ruling Justice Paul Heath has… ...

Congratulations are due to the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGFNZ) who have won their legal case around how the Ministry of Health decided to award their contracts for problem gambling services to another service provider. Congratulations are due not just for&hellip; ...

This week, the Environmental Protection Authority Amendment Bill passed its first reading in Parliament. The Bill puts protection of the environment into the core purpose of the Environmental Protection Authority. This month, Dr Allan Freeth, the former Chief Executive of… ...

The killing of a security guard on his first night on the job is exactly the kind of incident that National’s watered-down health and safety bill won’t prevent, says Te Atatu MP Phil Twyford. The coronial inquest into 22-year-old Charanpreet… ...

Increasing numbers of single parents are being penalised under a regime that is overly focussed on sanctions rather than getting more people into work, Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni says. “Figures, obtained through Parliamentary questions show 3000 more sanctions,… ...

Hekia Parata’s decision to keep troubled Whangaruru Charter school open despite being presented with a catalogue of failure defies belief, goes against official advice and breaks a Government promise to close these schools if they were failing, says Labour’s Education… ...

Yesterday I attended the launch of a new initiative developed by and for Asian, Middle eastern and African youth to support young people to name and get support if there is domestic violence at home. The impact on children of… ...

The Government’s handling of the Problem Gambling Foundation’s axing in a cost-cutting exercise has been ham-fisted and harmful to some of the most vulnerable people in society, Associate Health Labour spokesperson David Clark says.“Today’s court ruling overturning the axing of… ...

The Labour Party will not support the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement unless key protections for New Zealanders are met, Opposition leader Andrew Little says.“Labour supports free trade. However, we will not support a TPP agreement that undermines New Zealand’s sovereignty. ...

Resident doctors have advised that a severe staffing shortage at North Shore Hospital is putting patients’ lives at risk, Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King says. “They say a mismatch between staffing levels and patient workloads at North Shore has… ...

Six months’ paid parental leave is back on the agenda and a step closer to reality for Kiwi parents after Labour’s new Member’s Bill was pulled from today’s ballot, the Bill’s sponsor and Labour MP Sue Moroney says. “My Bill… ...

New requirements for sole parents to undertake a reapplication process after a year is likely to mean a large number will face benefit cancellations, but not because they have obtained work, Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni says. “Increasing numbers… ...

Last week the government’s major initiative to combat child poverty (a paltry $25 increase) was exposed for what it is, a lie. The Government, through the Budget this year, claims to be engaging in the child poverty debate, but instead,… ...

The Reserve Bank's decision to cut the Official Cash Rate to 3 per cent shows there is no encore for the so-called 'rock star' economy, says Labour's Finance Spokesperson Grant Robertson. "Today's interest rate cut comes off the back… ...

In my short 33 years on this planet we’ve seen phenomenal technological, economic and social change, and it’s realistic to expect the next 33 will see even more, even faster change. You can see it in the non-descript warehouse near… ...

A Bill that puts the environment squarely into legislation governing the Environmental Protection Authority passed its first reading today, says Meka Whaitiri. “I introduced this member’s bill as the current law doesn’t actually make protecting the environment a goal of… ...

KiwiSaver statistics released today expose John Key's claim that the cutting of the kickstart payment "will not make a blind bit of difference to the number of people who join KiwiSaver” to be duplicitous, says Labour Finance Spokesperson Grant Robertson. “Official… ...

All New Zealanders should be treated fairly at work. Currently, the law allows non-employment relationships to be used to get around the minimum wage. This is unfair, says Labour MP David Parker. “The Minimum Wage (Contractor Remuneration) Amendment Bill, a… ...

The Government’s rubber-stamping of every one of the nearly 400 applications from overseas investors to buy New Zealand farm land over the last three years proves tougher laws are needed, Labour MP Phil Goff says. “In the last term of… ...

John Key must ditch the flag referendum before any more taxpayer money is wasted, Opposition Leader Andrew Little says. “Millions of dollars could be saved if the Prime Minister called a halt to this hugely expensive, and highly unpopular, vanity… ...

Government members have prevented Parliament’s Law and Order select committee from getting answers out of a senior Serco director about the fight clubs being run at Mt Eden prisons, says Labour’s Corrections Spokesperson Kelvin Davis. “At today’s Law and Order… ...

Share this:

Related

The stalling of yesterday’s TPPA negotiations in Maui provide light relief for the citizens of New Zealand, but we cannot be complacent in thinking that our Government will not continue on signing our country up to a deal that may… ...

Everyone who has opposed the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) into their districts needs to be alarmed at the way central Government is moving to over-ride local council regulations about this matter, says Kelvin Davis, Labour ...

‘The “final” ministerial meeting on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) in Maui has failed. Not opting to stay another day shows the gridlock is serious and potentially intractable’, according to University of Auckland law professor ...

Retailers will be pleased by news reports that Revenue Minister Todd McClay is taking a paper to Cabinet this month that will allow New Zealand retailers to compete on a fair basis with foreign websites by substantially reducing the threshold… ...

Lisa Owen: Now, changing tack now. Nancy Gibbs is the first woman to lead the iconic Time magazine. What's more, she's leading it into the digital age with her appointment in 2013, heralding a shake-up in the magazine's online offerings.… ...

Headlines: With sanctions being lifted on Iran, McCully says there are big opportunities for New Zealand businesses in Iran and some have been giving the market a lot of thought. “…the opportunities are significant in the short-term and even bigger… ...

Foreign Minister Murray McCully talks to Tova O’Brien in New York about what opportunities the Iran deal creates for New Zealand, whether the families of the MH17 victims will ever get justice, and he has stern words for the world’s… ...

The Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand (the Guild) is keen to learn more about how the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will impact New Zealand’s health sector if it is accepted by the Government. ...

Secrecy of TPPA documents heads to court A legal challenge to the secrecy of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) negotiations will be launched in the High Court next week. An urgent application for judicial review will challenge Trade Minister ...

Navy Ships Arriving Home After Long Deployments The frigate HMNZS TE KAHA and tanker HMNZS ENDEAVOUR will arrive at the Devonport Naval Base in Auckland at 10am this Sunday 2 August, after long overseas deployments. Over 1100 family and friends… ...

Social Service Providers Aotearoa (SSPA) is concerned about the potential for a proposed study on new born children to go awry unless the paramountcy principle of commitment to the Care and Protection of Children is upheld. This commitment means that… ...

Responding to the report that Auckland’s Councillors and Mayor Len Brown look set for a 2.3 per cent pay increase, just days after voting to increase the average rates burden by 9.9 per cent, Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Carmel Claridge, says: ...

Responding to the report that Auckland’s Councillors and Mayor Len Brown look set for a 2.3 per cent pay increase, just days after voting to increase the average rates burden by 9.9 per cent, Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Carmel Claridge, says: ...

Responding to the report that Auckland’s Councillors and Mayor Len Brown look set for a 2.3 per cent pay increase, just days after voting to increase the average rates burden by 9.9 per cent, Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Carmel Claridge, says: ...

After 3 years of legal battle the government has now agreed to make full offers to commercial and vacant land owners whose properties were illegally red-zoned. However it decided to single out self-insured homeowners and offers nothing for their homes. ...

Strong response to Draft Transition Recovery Plan The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) has started analysing more than 2500 written comments received on the transition of recovery arrangements in greater Christchurch. The Recovery Plan ...

Heard you were able to get back to your dad’s turangawaewae last week. Mean … hope you had a good catch up with the whanau. I also hear you’re getting ready to endorse the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), and I’m… ...

The family of Lecretia Seales has decided not to appeal the High Court decision in the case of Seales v. Attorney General released to the public by Justice Collins last month on June 5th. Ms Seales passed away several hours… ...

Auckland’s only centre-right Mayoral candidate Stephen Berry says in light of massive rates increases it is inappropriate for the Mayor or any Councillors to be accepting a pay increase. “I propose that until such time as the Council passes a… ...

Predictive risk model in the prevention of child abuse – UNICEF NZ urges caution Research and testing of a predictive risk model to assist in identifying and responding to children at risk of child abuse is important work but must… ...

"Dow AgroSciences, Fonterra and Methanex are three named sponsors of Taranaki Regional Council's Environmental Awards. Their sponsorships makes a total mockery of these awards. This is akin to a weapons manufacturer sponsoring a peace scholarship" ...

Wikileaks has just posted a ‘guidance’ document for TPPA ministers on SOE-related issues ( https://wikileaks.org/tpp-soe-minister/ ). Although dated December 2013, Professor Jane Kelsey, a law professor from the University of Auckland who has monitored ...

With the reference to the latest “Trafficking in Persons” or TIP Report Released this Tuesday by the US Government, ECPAT Child ALERT Trust raises concerns that even though New Zealand may be in the Tier 1 category the report clearly… ...

An Independent Police Conduct Authority report released today has found that Police unlawfully detained two women and three young children following an armed response which developed from the attempted arrest of a male in Mangere on the evening of ...

The National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges welcomes the announcement of the government family and sexual violence work programme. “I am excited to see this commitment to action from the government and look forward to working alongside ...

At the conclusion of a public request for proposals and selection process, the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives has appointed Oratia Media to publish the fourth edition of the authoritative guide to the conduct of our… ...

At the conclusion of a public request for proposals and selection process, the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives has appointed Oratia Media to publish the fourth edition of the authoritative guide to the conduct of our… ...

‘The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) has given up another secret – unprecedented new restrictions on state-owned enterprises (SOEs)’, says University of Auckland law professor Jane Kelsey who has monitored the SOE negotiations intensively. ...

‘The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) has given up another secret – unprecedented new restrictions on state-owned enterprises (SOEs)’, says University of Auckland law professor Jane Kelsey who has monitored the SOE negotiations intensively. ...

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll. Source: Professor Jane Kelsey. Professor Jane Kelsey. ‘The “final” ministerial meeting on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) in Maui… ...

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll. Statement of Lori Wallach, Director, Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch – Yet Another ‘Final’ TPP Ministerial and Again No Deal; Not… ...

Michael Woodhouse. Image courtesy of TheStandard.org.nz. Analysis by Keith Rankin. This article was also published on TheDailyBlog.co.nz. On Q+A (TVNZ) on 12 July, Michael Woodhouse, Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety discussed ‘Zero-Hour’ labour contracts as a subset… ...

Report by NewsroomPlus.com MGSM Release: Sydney and Melbourne property prices have grown at more than 15 per cent per annum over the last three years, outperforming any other Australian markets and creating a bubble, says Nobel Prize winning economist Professor… ...

Report by NewsroomPlus.comNew Zealanders love their holidays and according to recent data released by Statistics NZ, last month alone 198,800 kiwis took a vacation. For the year ending June 2015, over 2.3 million New Zealanders left New Zealand to… ...

Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Dr Bryce Edwards. Should we celebrate the super rich in New Zealand or see their growing wealth as a cause of inequality and division? The publication of the NBR’s latest annual Rich List… ...

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest features 7 resourceful links of the day and the politics pulse from Friday 31st July.NEWSROOM_MONITORTop stories in the current news cycle include the progress of the controversial controversial Health and Safety Reform Bill… ...

Source: Professor Jane Kelsey. Professor Jane Kelsey. A legal challenge to the secrecy of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) negotiations will be launched in the High Court next week.An urgent application for judicial review will challenge Trade… ...

Source:Smokefreerockquest – Nelson Media Agency – Press Release/Statement: Headline: SMOKEFREEROCKQUEST 2015 NATIONAL FINALISTS ANNOUNCEDThe top nine Smokefreerockquest national finalists were announced today, the crème of the 700 bands and solo/duos who entered the nationwide youth music contest this year.Contenders… ...

Report by NewsroomPlus.comContributed by Amanda CarringtonWellington celebrated a milestone last weekend, reaching 150 years as New Zealand’s capital. Thousands of Wellingtonians were enticed to explore the many churches, universities, museums and government buildings the city has to offer. But… ...

Report by NewsroomPlus.comThe speech text below was used by Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully used to open the Open Debate: Peace and security challenges facing Small Island Developing States, at the UN Security Council, July 30, 2015 (New York… ...

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest features 6 resourceful links of the day and the politics pulse from Thursday 30th July.NEWSROOM_MONITORTop stories in the current news cycle include information showing that Social Development Minister Anne Tolley has confined anew… ...

Analysis by Keith Rankin. This article was also published on Scoop.co.nz.On Morning Report on Friday (24 July), I heard the following exchange between Guyon Espiner and Finance Minister, Bill English.Guyon Espiner: “So what’s the good bit about allowing… ...

Source: Scope Media – PERRIAM. Merino sheep being mustered on Bendigo Station overlooking, Lake Dunstan. Luxury merino fashion brand PERRIAM has been selected for a special showcase on wool in fashion at the prestigious New Zealand Fashion Week… ...

…he can do anything he wants….his suit is 100% NASA-engineered teflon & stuff… …so it’s been such an amazing run that el presidente recently decided on a make over and costuming – because he can…because he can do what… ...

Political roundup by Dr Bryce Edwards Dr Bryce Edwards. $100,000 a year to imprison a person is a lot of money. That’s the striking figure at the centre of the current prison scandal and debate, in a country… ...

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest features 5 resourceful links of the day and the politics pulse from Wednesday 29th July.NEWSROOM_MONITORTop stories in the current news cycle include the possibility of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade talks coming… ...

Investigation by Carolyn Skelton.Negative side effects of isotretinoinIn my research of the acne last resort drug, isotretinoin, I came across a couple of issues related to the impact of Big Pharma, Pharmac, and potential impacts of the TPP.… ...

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest features 5 resourceful links of the day and the politics pulse from Tuesday 28th July.NEWSROOM_MONITOR Top stories in the current news cycle include more leaked documents that show the funding of District Health Boards… ...

Analysis by Keith Rankin – This article was also published on Scoop.co.nz.In response to my Money, Flow and Debt (Daily Blog and Evening Report, 25 July 2015) one reader responded to my comments about money hoarding and compensatory debt&hellip; ...

Source: Hot Topic – By Gareth Renowden – Analysis published with permission of Hot-Topic.co.nz Headline: A tale of two hemispheres At the end of June, Professor Jim Renwick of Victoria University gave his inaugural lecture. As you might expect of… ...

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 9 links for the day from Monday 27th July.Top stories in the current news cycle include concerns over a leaked document that reportedly shows the Government plans an overhaul to the governance of… ...

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 9 links for the day from Monday 27th July.Top stories in the current news cycle include concerns over a leaked document that reportedly shows the Government plans an overhaul to the governance of… ...

Source: Asia Pacific Lawyers Network.“Evidence is mounting of increasing numbers of internet romantics and international travellers risking their lives after being deceived, coerced and ultimately exploited by sophisticated international drug cartels,” New Zealand death penalty defence… ...

…exactly when am i a journalist? …the hager case has raised some big issues…is it time to professionalise journalism? …personally i think the hand-writing a tag or a name sticker that says “reporter” is the standard we should… ...

Eyes of Fire (fifth edition) launched Friday July 10, 2015. Opinion piece by Professor David Robie of AUT’s School of Communication Studies – David travelled on board the Rainbow Warrior for 10 weeks before the bombing and wrote the book&hellip; ...

Analysis by Keith Rankin – This article was also published on TheDailyBlog.co.nz.To sort out our intransigent economic problems, ordinary people need to understand how things actually work today and how things do not work. The peasants need to challenge… ...

Report by Alistar Kata – Pacific Media Centre/Pacific Media Watch.AUCKLAND (Pacific Media Watch): Most audiences are used to seeing Wairere Tame Iti as the Māori activist, who most notably shot the Australian flag at a 2005 Waitangi Tribunal… ...

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 8 media release snippets and 4 links for the day of Friday 24th July.Top stories in the current news cycle include more concerns about effects of the Government’s tougher welfare policy and the… ...

Report by NewsroomPlus.com – Contributed by Olexander BarnesWellington is the city where the vampire film “What we do in the Shadows” takes place, but there are more dangers on our streets than just vampires. Living Streets Aotearoa and the Urban Design… ...

Report by NewsroomPlus.comIt may be a fact of the news cycle that Thursday night’s release of research focused on asthma health literacy for Māori children in New Zealand – He Māramatanga Huangō – wasn’t destined to make the 6pm bulletin.… ...

Report by NewsroomPlus.comContributed by Amanda CarringtonNew research from a Victoria University professor shows a longer parole period will decrease the risk of prisoners reoffending. Psychology professor Devon Polaschek’s work Surviving the first year explores how prisoners who are… ...

Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup – The Housing apartheid problem Dr Bryce Edwards. There’s a social divide opening up in New Zealand cities, especially Auckland, over home ownership. But is the division about race or wealth? And what can… ...

Containing the impacts in NZ: Acne and isotretinoin IIIInvestigation by Carolyn Skelton.In my previous pieces I addressed problems with acne and a last resort anti-acne drug (isotretinoin); a drug which has tended towards being overused and under-regulated. Many… ...

Source: Royal New Zealand Ballet A magical world premiere from the RNZB – The Vodafone Season of A Midsummer Night’s DreamIn an unprecedented artistic coup the Royal New Zealand Ballet has commissioned one of the world’s most sought after choreographers… ...

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 8 media release snippets and 5 links for the day of Thursday 23rd July.Top stories in the current news cycle include a report from ACClaim Otago, a support group for injured people that… ...

Report by NewsroomPlus.comContributed by Olexander BarnesDebates on issues like euthanasia deserve the widest possible audience. It was fitting then that the lecture hall in the Otago campus next to Wellington hospital was packed full of people, all eager to… ...

Source: Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand New Civil Aviation Rules for unmanned aircraft coming into force next week will improve aviation safety for operators, other airspace users and people and property. Civil Aviation Rule Part 102… ...

Source:Reserve Bank of New Zealand Reserve Bank Governor Graeme Wheeler announced this morning that the Reserve Bank has reduced the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 3.0 percent.Graeme Wheeler said the global economic growth remains moderate,… ...

Peter Godfrey and Selwyn Manning. Selwyn Manning and Australian radio station FiveAA’s Peter Godfrey deliver their weekly bulletin, Across The Ditch. This week New Zealand’s Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-Inga under pressure to resign after scandalous and tragic… ...

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 8 media release snippets and 4 links for the day of Tuesday 22nd July.Top stories in the current news cycle include Parliament unanimously passing legislation to fix a legal loophole that would have… ...

From The Virtual Desk of Ant Timpson. It all started with a synopsis and a poster submitted to a film competition. From 500 submissions, one winner emerged victorious. The filmmaker’s name was Jason Lei Howden and his winning idea was… ...